


Be careful what you say.

by Kira_Katashi



Series: Kira's James Bond Shorties [5]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Fluff, Kinda, Light-Hearted, M/M, Q sitting in a tree, someone stole the King's apples
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:47:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27998493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kira_Katashi/pseuds/Kira_Katashi
Summary: Q is sitting in a tree to find out who the thief of the King's golden apples is.Only this "thief" isn't someone he expected, let alone their reasoning for the deed.
Relationships: beginning of Q/Bill Tanner
Series: Kira's James Bond Shorties [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2045589
Comments: 13
Kudos: 17
Collections: Mi6 Cafe Prompt Fills





	Be careful what you say.

**Author's Note:**

> Heyho lovelies!  
> This is based on the Anon Gift Exchange Prompt:  
>  _Every night a golden apple disappears from the king’s garden. Luckily, Q has a plan on how to catch the perpetrator._
> 
> Happy Reading!

The personnel of the castle were agitated. Since a whole week someone stole golden apples from the King’s personal garden and the thief still wasn’t caught. With that, whoever they were, beat the previous record holder by four days!

Ok, if one was truly honest the apples weren’t as otherworldly-holy as most would say. They were just very good apples with a unique colour that were very sensitive to the soil they grew on. And during the autumn festival in three weeks, they would get distributed among the people anyway: one per person.

No, the true problem in this “crime” lay with the fact that someone managed to sneak past rows and rows of guards into the very heart of the castle. Easily being in position to assassinate the King without anyone noticing until it was too late.

In and by itself, there was no big punishment for stealing the apples other than a  _ loooong  _ and stern talk with the king but that would never be told the public.

But if someone came in there was a weakness in the guard rotation.

Now, it wasn’t in Quill’s usual job-description of Quartermaster to apprehend thieves but the King bade him in a personal request to hide in the garden and find out whoever the mystery person was. Quill was lithe and shorter than the average guard, he would be able to hide among the foliage of the King’s trees and hopefully learn the identity of the thief.

Quill was under strict orders not to engage. Even if not helpless, Quill was no fighter and should not get hurt over something that wasn’t his job.

“Will you be alright?”

“I will, good night your Majesty.”

Armed with the power of a good nap, a green blanket and a dagger just in case Quill went into the garden after the apple count was finished and heaved himself onto the strongest looking tree. There he bundled up in the blanket and leaned against the trunk.

This would be a long night.

.

.

A very long night.

.

.

Waiting was the worst. Ever shadow, every smallest rustle of leaves seemed amplified in the darkness making Quill freeze or jerk multiple times. He cursed not having a book or anything else to keep his mind occupied but in the foliage was not enough moon light – as anticipated.

Hence why he had no book with him.

At least what little stars he could see where pretty.

.

.

His butt was hurting, his back was hurting, he wanted his bed and he wanted a tea.

Why had he agreed to do this?

Yes, he k new .

Because James and Alec were too energetic to say it friendly, plus too heavy. The two men alone could eat for a whole squad of guards when left unattended.

.

.

He watched the moon reflect on the golden surface of the nearest apple.

So pretty

.

.

No amount of sighing made the sun rise faster but sunrise always came.

And there had been no sighting of the thief.

“What are you doing up there Q?”

“Morning Moneypenny, trying to catch a thief.”

“I guess it wasn’t successful?”

“No-one came in this night, and now count quickly so I can go to bed.”

With practiced ease Moneypenny went through the counting only to look owlishly to Quill.

One apple was missing from the tree that had been the best in his sight.

“Are you sure that is right?”

The woman gave a deep sigh but humoured him. The result however was the same: one apple was missing. Quill’s mind went into overdrive. How?  _ How?  _ **_ HOW?! _ **

What had he missed?

A gentle hand nudging him inside brought him out of his thoughts.

“Go sleep Quill, I’ll tell the King.”

His first impulse was to decline but it was true, he felt dead on his feet and his stomach was growling for food. Quill craved. With a quick snatched bread from the kitchen Quill went to his room, barely registering enough to greet Tanner as well.

With the bread half-eaten on the way Quill was out as soon as he was horizontal.

\--

Next night, next try.

Nobody would outsmart the Quartermaster in title and Royal Advisor in nature – he was there even earlier than the apple counters for the night – and swung himself into the trees.

Punctual like clockwork Tanner and his usual group of guards came into the garden for the evening count. And Quill was just about to say hello when something made him pause.

Tanner.

Quill squinted his eyes in suspicion.

When the guards had all their backs turned Tanner let one apple disappear in his jacket.

There has never been a nightly thief! Tanner just never told the truth about the count.

Why would Tanner do this?

Probably every personnel had snatched an apple at some point but multiple and so secretly at that? It was fishy. Very fishy because the only use it could maybe have been to sell them. And even then, Tanner was well paid – Quill oversaw his payment.

So, to stress the question again,  _ why _ ?

With a thundering heart Quill waited until the garden was empty before coming down the trees. The guards at the gate, who had seen him walk in, looked at him strangely when he walked out again not even an hour later. But they didn’t comment.

The thing with Tanner’s room was that it was surprisingly easy accessed when one knew how to get onto the stable – which was a well-kept secret among the highest of staff because the roof of it could be used for a number of good  emergency exits.

But Tanner’s window was right above it as well.

Decision made, Quill went into the stable, greeting the remaining few grooms who were just finishing up packing their stuff away. In the last saddle room hidden under the top of a closet was a hatch that could be opened to the roof.

He opened it just as much as he had to, to get through and went determined to the window where light was still flickering. To be able to see inside he had to stand on a small ledge on the wall and stand on his toes. Though, even then it was hard to do so his eyes just peeking over the edge of the windowsill.

Inside Tanner was sitting in a comfy looking chair...knitting?!

Quill’s stomach lurched when his feet lost their hold and he landed on his backside, the wind knocked out of his lungs.

“Quill! Are you alright?!”

Tanner was looking out of the window, worry stretched all across his face. It took Quill some long moments to get air back into his lungs but as far as he could assess, he would have nothing more than a lightly bruised backside.

“I’m...ok”

“What were you doing there?”

Well...still a bit wobbly on his feet Quill stumbled closer to the window. He didn’t need to announce it to anyone until he knew more.

“I saw you snatching the apple.”

“Oh.”

The silence was heavy.

“Do you...want to come in?”

Quill thought for a second – more collecting his thoughts than actual  _ thinking –  _ and nodded. But he wouldn’t use the window again and went the long way around, setting the closet back into its former position.

When he finally walked into the corridor leading to Tanner’s  room, he could see the man awkwardly standing in his doorway.

Should he get guards?

...no. There had to be a good reason why Tanner did what he did and the man had protected him on multiple occasions. Including switching his own uncontaminated drink with Q’s poisoned one on one political gala.

That had been Q’s longest three days until Tanner was out of danger; goosebumps rose at the memory. 

No, this man would not harm him.

Tanner led Q inside his quarters and bade him to sit on the edge of his bed while he went back to his chair, picking up the knitting where he left it. It was already quite large though Q couldn’t say what  it was exactly.

“So. .. why did you take the apples?”

A gentle blush  coloured Tanner’s cheeks .

“I. .. wanted to take you on a date?”

“What?! What would you need the apples for-?”

His eyes fell onto the  ochre -golden knitting.

Oh.

OH!

“Tanner! I was nearly _ black out drunk _ ! How do you even remember this?!”

“It. .. seemed pretty important to you.”

It had been on the last New Year’s party that Bond and Alec had teamed up to get Q drunk – ultimately archiving their goal after hours of careful drink sneaking and keeping him distracted. To this day he had no clue how the discussion turned that way but Bond had asked him what one had to do to get Q on a date.

Not wanting to deal with either of the knights Quill had said, he wanted something knitted, something like a jacket or cardigan.

Something to keep him warm.

For some reason, in that moment, Quill found the task too easy for stubborn knights so he had upped the task with the condition that the thread had to be dyed with the golden apples. It was certainly possible to use them as dye but to colour something like a jacket one would need ten of them – most likely even more.

To get one apple a year was easy, two was a bit more of a challenge but more than three? That was a hard feat that would only be possible with a huge amount of bribery. And the two knights were under special watch anyway so they wouldn’t get more apples out of the garden.

Then he had truly thought about it.

A comfy golden cardigan? He wanted that. His grandma had gotten a golden shawl for her services for the kingdom and it was the best and most beautiful cloth he had ever seen or touched.

However, a golden cardigan was just a dream and the two knights had shut up. Truly a win!

Only a dream...until now.

Tanner held the nearly finished cardigan up.

“Would you try it on? I want to know if I got the lengths right.”

Awed Quill shrugged his own jacket off and slid into the sleeves. They were too short but the knitted fabric itself was just fabulous.

“Quill...? Would you go on a date with me when I finished it up?”

He turned and looked into Tanners hopeful eyes.

“You idiot. You just could’ve asked! I only wanted James and Alec off my arse.”

“ Oh,  how does tomorrow evening sound?”

“Ask me again when I’ve slept. I had to search for an apple thief after all,” Tanner looked sheepish, “and the talk with the King is something I won’t do but if you and me are awake and there tomorrow evening I’d like to go on that date with you.”

The grin he got was subtle one, but it made Quill feel all warm.

**Author's Note:**

> please don't ask me where I got the idea for this...I don't know


End file.
